New arrive- Ficus retusa

[bonsai-max]

Hi there,I need an help for a new plant a ficus retusa that one of my neighbour throw into the garbage the green waste day.
It have had a cold shock ( -1 that night) because the first 10 days lost a lot of leafs now is ok and look stabilized.
I will not do anything for the next week, I will wait for some new leafs or other sign of life, but in the meantime I am asking here some suggestion about the work to do, and also what kind of pot can be suitable for this plant.
I thing is too tall and maybe in the future I will have to cut her.
I know that is not a really nice bonsai, and I have experience only with Pines.....
Any suggestions ?

 

[luvinthemountains]

Nice find! Assuming that these are current photos, then I don't think you need to worry about survival. Looks like it has recovered just fine. For now, I suggest you just get used to keeping it happy with light and watering. Water just like your other houseplants which seem to be doing fine.

When summer comes, you can start thinking about what kind of plan you are going for. Keeping it as-is, as a fun houseplant in the pot it came in might make sense. But if you want a longer term project, it needs some heavy editing to make a convincing tree image. One idea could be to chop it down to the second bend, leaving that grafted foliage and developing it into a nice crown. You could even do the same with a chop at the first curve, but that would be a much longer term project. The grafts, by the way, are a dwarf form of ficus microcarpa that will grow much more nicely than anything that sprouts from the trunk. The trunk is standard microcarpa and any shoots will grow large leaves and long internodes.

Keep growing it in the deep pot for a while for training purposes - maybe even something significantly larger. Once you have the basic structure where you want it, in a few years, you can start looking for a nice bonsai pot for it.

Good luck!

 

[Gabler]

Once the weather warms up this spring, put it outside in the sun and water it profusely whenever the soil surface gets dry. That might be every day or every few days, depending on the type of soil used. It should begin to grow rapidly. Give it a bit of fertilizer, but otherwise let it be until summer.

In early summer, repot it into a soil mix that drains well and chop it back a good bit lower than the final height you want. A ficus can take an absolute beating, provided it was growing vigorously beforehand. Don’t be that aggressive with any other type of tree. If you want to play it safe, wait till next year to chop it, and just let it grow this summer.

As @luvinthemountains pointed out, the branches appear grafted onto the trunk. If/when you chop the trunk, chop it just above one of the grafted branches and grow that out into the new upper trunk. You can wire down branches from the new trunk to get an even crown with uniform foliage. If it were my tree, I’d chop it all the way back to the lowest branch and build up a whole new tree. If you’re not willing to wait half a decade, maybe chop to the third branch and develop that into the new apex and develop clouds of foliage on the two branches below that.

 

[bonsai-max]

Hi, thanks for the suggestion.
More or less is all that I have in mind, I made the pictures today 2 weeks after the recovery
My idea is to cut over the third ranch to make it not so tall and keep as is.....
Any chance to graft the cut a branch from on the very bottom for new branch near the one that is really weak ?

 

[luvinthemountains]

Any chance to graft the cut a branch from on the very bottom for new branch near the one that is really weak ?

Sure! But I suggest you wait a year or two to see what that branch does. Once it has spent some time in the sun, that branch may very well gather some strength and grow!

 

[bonsai-max]

Sure! But I suggest you wait a year or two to see what that branch does. Once it has spent some time in the sun, that branch may very well gather some strength and grow!

Yes that is the plan ? There are some info around on how to do the graft ?

 

[Zelrod]

You could also consider an air layer before you chop the top off to get two trees from what you have. Ficus are suppose to be really easy to air layer during the warm months.

 

[Gabler]

Yes that is the plan ? There are some info around on how to do the graft ?

For now, just take a few cuttings from the branches you cut off so you have some material for later grafts. Ficus cuttings root easily, so no hormones needed. Just put a stick in a pot and wait for roots.

While your cuttings are growing, look for YouTube videos on grafting branches so you can actually see the process being done. There’s a lot of different techniques, so you should be able to find something that’ll work for the material you have. Once you get the gist of it, come back here with your remaining questions or ask a local club member to help develop your basic understanding into a practical skill.

 

[bonsai-max]

Ok , will do it....
The soil is not so bad as usually found in this commercial tree but needs a new one in spring.
This one is full of fiber and remains wet for days, I will do 70% akadama and 30% universal soil should be ok. I have also pumice and perlite if need
Good recipes ?

 

[Gabler]

Save the akadama until you’re refining the tree. Pumice and perlite are good for broadleaf trees when mixed with chunks of something organic to help hold water and fertilizer. Anything that holds water but allows air to get to the roots is good enough.

I’ve been using NAPA Auto Parts part no. 8822. It’s granules of diatomaceous earth, intended to absorb garage oil spills and prevent people from slipping and falling. It also holds lots of water, while allowing air to reach the roots. It’s bad at holding onto nutrients from fertilizer, so I mix in a handful of 1/4 to 1/2 inch chunks of coconut husk, and my ficus trees grow like mad. I eyeball the ratio, rather than measuring exactly, but I’m using roughly a 3 to 1 ratio of 8822 to coconut husk.

 

[bonsai-max]

Hi guys any idea to remove these not so nice parts ?

 

[Tums]

Do you have a concave cutter? If you cut those out the tree should heal right over come spring.

 

[bonsai-max]

I have these one

 

[bonsai-max]

should I use the special liquid to protect the cut ? I have not the japanese paste but the more fluid one that make a brown film on the wound......

 

[Snorlax99]

In my experience Ficus don't need cut paste to heal. I usually just spritz some water over the wound and let the plant do the work. They heal quickly and easily

 

[penumbra]

I think you need a heavy hand to make this into something useful. As suggested , I would take it back to second bend. I would layer the top off. It will only take about 3-4 weeks to develop enough roots to be on its own.

 

[bonsai-max]

I think you need a heavy hand to make this into something useful. As suggested , I would take it back to second bend. I would layer the top off. It will only take about 3-4 weeks to develop enough roots to be on its own.

If I make cutting from the top or from the second curve as suggested should I take out the leafs or cut by half ? I don't have experience with ficus cutting
The usual rules are a good soil as perlite and the plastic bag to cover the pot and avoid too much transpiration, right ? Best period I think is in June when is hot... I live in Switzerland

 

[penumbra]

I wouldn't do a cutting. Sure ficus are easy, but there is no guarantee. Do an air layer. It is a sure thing on a ficus.
Now if you are a serious and successful plant propagator, do what you want.

 

[jradics]

if you

Hi there,I need an help for a new plant a ficus retusa that one of my neighbour throw into the garbage the green waste day.
It have had a cold shock ( -1 that night) because the first 10 days lost a lot of leafs now is ok and look stabilized.
I will not do anything for the next week, I will wait for some new leafs or other sign of life, but in the meantime I am asking here some suggestion about the work to do, and also what kind of pot can be suitable for this plant.
I thing is too tall and maybe in the future I will have to cut her.
I know that is not a really nice bonsai, and I have experience only with Pines.....
Any sugges

Hi, thanks for the suggestion.
More or less is all that I have in mind, I made the pictures today 2 weeks after the recovery
My idea is to cut over the third ranch to make it not so tall and keep as is.....
Any chance to graft the cut a branch from on the very bottom for new branch near the one that is really weak ?

View attachment 472465

cool shape. if you are going to chop it, you may as well try to air layer it first and maybe get one or two more trees. if the layering doesnt work, oh well, chop it then.

 

[Gabler]

I wouldn't do a cutting. Sure ficus are easy, but there is no guarantee. Do an air layer. It is a sure thing on a ficus.
Now if you are a serious and successful plant propagator, do what you want.

I wouldn’t do a cutting either. I would take as many cuttings as there are twigs in case some fail.

That said, I’m usually terrible at rooting cuttings, since I’m opportunistic rather than cutting at the right time of year. I have a 100% success rate with ficus cuttings of multiple species at various times throughout the year with various sizes of cuttings. It’s almost hard to stop them from rooting. As far as I’m concerned, ficus cuttings are a sure thing.